I feel a gentle, warm breeze brush against my face. I open my eyes, and an incredibly blue sky blinds me with its brilliance. I place my hand up to my eyes to shield them from the bright blue light, letting them adjust more slowly. I turn my head to the right, and realize that I am laying down on a pastoral green field. Tiny flowers and puddles speckle the grass. Every so often, my eyes land upon one of several scattered trees, with lush and budding leaves and innumerable blossoms. Grazing cows are scattered across the landscape.

The whole scene seems familiar... I feel like I've been in this field before, except it was in the Summer, when the grass was golden and the sun unforgivingly hot. Yet this time around, freedom permeates the air. It is the place where I've always wanted to be, a place free from the darkness.

The savory smell of a pork roast persuades me to sit up and turn around. I see a cobblestone cottage with its chimney breathing smoke. The entrance is surrounded by a dense and colorful garden, with a mossy stone path leading up to an ornate yet sturdy wooden front door. The large stones holding up the walls have a deep and earthen texture, no doubt weathered by many storms. The wooden roof is slightly sagged, but its dark color suggests that it is as old as the stone beneath it, far too strong to simply break, but bound to slowly bend under its weight over many years.

The cottage reminds me of the safety and security of childhood, a period of blissful innocence and adventurous spirit, a time when the chaotic confusion of spawning for the first time was a close memory. Yet somehow, it isn't meant to last; the safety is only temporary. It is only a matter of time before the darkness finds me. I can only hide from it for so long.

I try to ignore the fear. It's not like thinking about it is going to make my troubles go away. It is inevitable. All I can do for now is enjoy however many days of peace I still have.

I turn my back away from the cottage and lay back down onto the grass, absorbing the tranquil Spring weather. My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I need to fill it soon. After many deep breaths, the sky darkens, an orange glow strengthens in the corner of my eye, and the cooling breeze tapers off. I think I hear someone calling my name.

I turn my head by stop halfway, seeing wisps of silver smoke snaking along the ground. The color of the world fades, the sunset reduced to an ominous white glow, the sky to black, and the grass to the color of ash. He is here. Why must he come too soon?

I swing my head forward as fast as I can. I don't dare look back. Any longer I stare into the smoke, the more it blinds me. And I'd surely be doomed if I looked into his eyes.

My heart pounds like a bashing brick. He has blocked my way to the cottage. If I try to run towards the cottage, he will surely catch me. However, if I try to run away from him, I will be distancing myself further and further from the safety of the cottage. Is there really much of a choice?

I have to run. As futile as it may be, it's my only hope of escape.

I rock forward onto my toes and push myself immediately into a sprint. I don't try to avoid the wet puddles which my steps splash onto my legs. I just stare into the grayscale horizon and focus on one thing: running.

I hear a malicious chuckle. "Do you honestly think you have any chance of escaping? Running is futile! Save your energy."

I feel my legs burning and my breaths growing heavier, but I don't let myself give in to the temptation of rest. Fear courses through every vein. I am running faster than I thought I ever could. My energy is the instinct of the primordial chase: I am the sheep. He is the wolf.

Another laugh. "When will you ever learn? I am catching up to you ever so slowly. With just a little more power, I could easily overtake you."

I say nothing. The world has become a numb illusion. The pain feels more distant. I feel my legs moving beneath me, but the movement has become automatic. Against my will, the frequency of my steps decreases ever so slowly, like the slowing flames of a furnace running out of fuel. For the love of Notch, don't slow down!

I focus on pressing my legs against the ground harder, swinging them forward with ever so slightly more force, hoping the exertion will push me forward ever so slightly faster. The contrast between the sky and the horizon begins to fade. A chill flows through me as I realize that it's too late to run. He has me.

All I see in front of me is grey, with wisps of silver smoke drawing in from the edges of my vision. I keep running in spite of seeing nothing, not willing to give up to the inevitable. Hot ethereal coils tighten around my ankles, pulling me into the air and dragging me backward. I am tipped over, forced down onto my knees against the grass I cannot see, and clamped in place by an invisible force.

"You see?" said the voice. "There's no point in running away. Someday, after disobeying me enough times, you will realize how wrong you were to even try."

I can't imagine what he will do to me... or what he will make me do. Still, there's nothing I can do to prevent it from happening. My muscles shake uncontrollably, to my frustration. Why must I appear so weak?

"What's that? Aww..." he coos. "It seems as if you're afraid!"

He tisks mockingly, in the same way a mother might to a disobedient child. His patronizing tone makes me enraged. I avoid the urge to clench my fists, to show any more emotion. It hurts to watch my ego burn.

He laughs yet again, longer and louder than before, savoring the moment. "What sickly delusion made you think that you, a mere human, could possibly trump my incredible power? Did you think you could outrun me? Outsmart me? Outfight me? Hm?" The invisible force pushes me closer to the ground. More laughing. "Do you want to know the cold truth? Well, perhaps, out of ignorance, you don't want to know. I will tell you anyway. The cold truth is that you are a lesser being: I own you! And it is only a matter of time before you are broken. You will come to respect me. You will come to serve me without question. And, of course, you will know better than to run away from your master!"

My hatred for him boils inside of me. I strain myself keep my mouth shut. Talking will only make things worse.

"So what are you planning to do? Resist? You know that path always leads to failure... so why bother? All resistance has brought you is pain and suffering, despite all the strain and effort you put into pursuing it! What kind of terrible life are you living? You could be happy... all you need to do is submit. I have incredible power... power that has been wasted making your life a Nether in the Overworld. I could use my power to bring bliss and meaning to your life! All you have to do is act as I say, speak how I ask you to, and think as I command! Is that really that hard? It's not as if my instructions are unclear. It's not as if what I'm asking you to do is life-threatening, or beyond what your puny human body is capable of! Why do you resist? You are taking the unnecessarily hard path! If you would just obey me, everything would be so, so easy..."

I feel a hand placed on my shoulder. It is deceptively warm. Behind that hand is a being that does not comfort, does not love, no matter how hard he tries to deceive me that it is so.

"So, what is it, then? What is preventing you from truly accepting me as your master?" His fingers tighten to a painful grip around my shoulder. "Tell me now!"

I shake my head. He will get no more knowledge out of me.

He sighs, unclenching his fingers from my shoulder and lifting his hand away. "It seems like we still have some work to do."

The ground rips open beneath me, and we are thrust into another space. I still see nothing.